Chennai, The Director-General of Police (DGP), Tamil Nadu, C. Sylendra Babu, on Wednesday informed the Madras High Court that permission has been denied for the 'unity march' planned by the Popular Front of India (PFI) in Kancheepuram, Salem, Ramanathapuram, Pudukottai and Tenkasi districts between March 10 and 13.
Justice Jagdish Chandra of Madras High Court recorded the submission and closed as infructuous a petition filed by advocate Y. Shoukath Ali Mohammed of Chennai.
The petitioner had sought direction from the DGP to restrain the PFI cadre from taking out the march on the ground that it might disturb communal peace and harmony in the state.
In his petition, advocate Mohammed said that he was an advisor to the Sufi Islamic Board which he claimed was a front against jihadi terrorism. He also accused the PFI of having links with Turkish jihadist group, IHH.
He claimed that E. Aboobacker and P. Koya, two frontline leaders of the PFI, were privately hosted by the IHH, whose Turkish name stands for 'Foundation for Human Rights and Freedom and Humanitarian Relief'. The petitioner also claimed that it was a charity linked to the Al-Qaeda.
The complainant also alleged that the PFI was linked to the 2011 Mumbai blasts, 2012 Pune bombings, and the 2013 Hyderabad attack.
He said the organisation shared its ideology with the Muslim Brotherhood, an international terror organisation based out of Egypt, Syria and Saudi Arabia.
The petitioner's counsel sought the attention of the court and said that the PFI might take out the march despite the denial of permission by the police. To this, the judge said that the law will have to take its own course if such a situation arises.
The judge said that the police would naturally initiate appropriate action if there is any defiance.